Dancing With Cinderella
by FalselyTrue
Summary: Jeb reflects on the five times in Max's life where she's danced, carefree. I got tired of the Jeb-is-evil and Max-can-never-forgive-Jeb fics and wrote this. Try it, please?


**I was listening to this son, Cinderella, and I kinda felt that there were too many "Jeb is evil" and "Max can never forgive Jeb" style fics, and figured, that maybe, in time, Max would trust them again.**

**There's a bit of a secret message in this—figure it out, and I'll find a way to send you cyber-cookies!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, and I don't own Steven Curtis Chapman and his song Cinderella and I don't own Shine, by Cassidy Laden and I don't own Vanessa Carlton or her song Ordinary Day. They're all not mine, but this plot is.**

.

Jeb watches as his daughter whirls in the white room, dancing to music only she can hear. She grabs Fang's hand and spins him around, even though he's clearly protesting.

She's only four, and he can already tell that she's going to fall in love with him. Not the other boy there, not the blonde one, but him, the dark, quiet one.

He also knows she'll be the mother figure to the baby girl sleeping in the corner, and he knows that she'll always love to dance.

He knows something Prince Charming doesn't.

.

She's five and dancing in the same room, and Jeb steps in.

"Jeb, dance with me!" she practically sings as she twirls with an imaginary partner.

Jeb nods, and she grabs his hands and starts waltzing. She puts her feet on his, and they're dancing. The other whitecoats stop and watch as Jeb dances with his daughter.

He picks her up and whirls her around, and she laughs, the only music they have.

She's not soft and girly, but she loves to dance, especially with anyone else.

When she steps back and bows, Jeb mock curtseys and leaves, glancing over his shoulder at the little girl. Already, she's stepping in a delicate square, twirling at each corner.

Fang's just been put back in the room after a test and he's watching her, step and step and step again.

Since Fang won't dance with her, she grabs Iggy and the two kids spin, laughing again, as the toddler girl in the corner giggles happily, babbling incoherently.

Jeb still knows something Prince Charming doesn't.

.

She's barely twelve now, and they've been out of the School for a bit of a while now. It's almost time for him to leave--his sabbatical will be over in a few weeks, and he's got to pack up and leave before Itex tries to track him down. He hears a bright tune coming from Max's room, and he leans in the doorway as Max dances with Angel, this time. It's soft and sweet, a cute little waltz.

The song is so perfect for the girls, a song about sisters and dancing, and Fang's there too, watching curiously as the two girls twirl around the room, Angel standing on Max's feet.

Nudge is doing what she clearly thinks is ballet in the corner, and Iggy mockingly grabs Gazzy, who dances with him.

Fang glances at Jeb and glares at him, like _I-know-you're-not-who-you-say-you-are and what-have-you-done-to-Max?_, to which Jeb shrugs slightly and watches as Max dances.

She laughs and grabs Jeb's hand and, sandwiching Angel in between her and her father, she steps and steps.

Fang glares all the harder, while Jeb smiles, even though he knows he'll be leaving the next day.

Jeb still knows something Prince Charming doesn't.

.

"Mom! Ella! Jeb!" he heard the girl shout, and turned away from the monitor, seeing his nineteen year old daughter race up the steps. "Guys! Guess what?!"

His bubbly seventeen-year old step-daughter bounces down the inside stairs and collides with her half sister.

"What? Don't leave me hanging, Max, what?!" Ella yells, looking up the six inches between her and Max.

"Not yet, waiting for Mom and Jeb." Max tells her, fiddling with her left hand. Angel and Nudge slide down the banister after Ella's tumble down the stairs, and use puppy dog eyes on their sister and mother figure.

"What?! No! Whatwhatwhathwhatwhat?!" Nudge demands, pouting. Dr. M hurries in from the kitchen, and Jeb leans in the doorway of his office.

"Fang proposed!" Max sings out, holding out her left hand, showing the smooth gold band that rests there.

"NO WAY!" Ella, Nudge and Angel shriek in unison, as Dr. M gasps and hugs her daughter. Jeb smiles again.

He'd known Fang was going to do it--being Fang, he'd wanted to do it somewhat traditionally, so he'd asked Dr. M if it would be alright with her, and then (reluctantly) asked Jeb.

The girls are still hugging and laughing and chattering excitedly (quite out of character for Max, Jeb acknowledges, since she hasn't been this girly since she was five) when they suddenly hush.

Max turns to Jeb. "You know...the wedding's not for six months, and I haven't danced in a long while. Will you practice with me? I don't wanna ask Fang, since I just know he'll laugh. He's not much of a dancer." You can hear the hope in her voice, and he realizes the last time she'd danced was the day before he'd left.

He just nods, and the girls go back to what they were doing.

And Jeb still knows something Prince Charming doesn't.

.

It's Max and Fang's wedding, and it's the father-daughter dance. He's wearing a nice suit, and she's wearing a medium blue dress with a full skirt and leggings. As they turn, her skirt flares, and she winces ever so slightly, not liking the skirt one bit. He's picked a song he knows Max won't understand, but he thinks it's quite apt.

The lyrics describe a young girl growing up, and dancing with her father at each stage of her life.

"_Oh, I will dance with Cinderella, I don't want to miss even one song. 'Cause all too soon, the clock will strike midnight, and she'll be gone..."_ Jeb softly sang along, and Max smiled, her sharp brown eyes softening the tiniest bit. With the final lyric of the song done, Jeb twirled her to Fang, her now husband.

He'd chosen the next song, and as Max and Fang danced together, he nodded solemnly at Fang, who nodded back.

And Jeb still knows something Prince Charming doesn't…but he has a feeling he'll figure it out in the next couple of years.

.

**There you go. **

**Anyone figure out what Prince Charming never knew?**

**_She spins and she sways  
To whatever song plays  
Without a care in the world  
And I'm sitting here wearing  
The weight of the world on my shoulders_**

It's been a long day  
And there's still work to do  
She's pulling at me  
Saying "Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle  
And I've been invited  
And I need to practice my dancing  
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella  
While she is here in my arms  
'Cause I know something the prince never knew  
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella  
I don't want to miss even one song  
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight  
And she'll be gone...

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed  
She wants to know if I approve of the dress  
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away  
And I need to practice my dancing  
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella  
While she is here in my arms  
'Cause I know something the prince never knew  
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella  
I don't want to miss even one song  
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight  
And she'll be gone

She will be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand  
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned  
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away  
But I need to practice my dancing  
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella  
While she is here in my arms  
'Cause I know something the prince never knew  
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella  
I don't want to miss even one song  
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight  
And she'll be gone...

**Daughters love to dance with their fathers.**

**R&R**


End file.
